Senator Ekong Sampson Projects Brighter Future Under Gov Eno

Senator Ekong Sampson Projects Brighter Future Under Gov Eno

…reels scorecard in Eket Senatorial District

By Imaa Akpantuen and Victor Oton

The Senator representing Eket Senatorial District, Senator Ekong Sampson, has described the administration of Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno, as bold, painstaking and visionary, noting that the governor’s leadership style has brought focus, compassion and depth to governance in the state.

The Senator made this known during a live radio interview on Friday in Uyo.

Senator Sampson who used the opportunity to also open up some gains recorded under his stewardship as Senator, highlighted education as a central pillar of his legislative and constituency interventions.

Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State

He disclosed that he recently disbursed ₦100 million in scholarships and grants to 500 students across the district, with each beneficiary receiving ₦200,000 through a transparent application process. Beyond financial support, he said the initiative was complemented with mentorship programmes to prepare youths for leadership and self-reliance.

He also listed several education-focused bills and projects, including sponsorship of bills for the establishment of a Federal University of Technology in Ikot Abasi and a Federal University of Medical Sciences in Eket, while actively supporting the take-off of the University of Maritime Studies in Oron.

Additionally, he is constructing and equipping Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres across the district to prepare students for the evolving, technology-driven education system.

In the health sector, Sampson confirmed that he sponsored a bill for the establishment of a University Teaching Hospital in Akwa Ibom South, which has been passed into law. He is also building and upgrading hospitals, doctors’ quarters and medical facilities, while planning large-scale free medical outreaches to improve access to healthcare for rural dwellers.

On infrastructure, the senator reaffirmed his commitment to the completion of the Calabar–Itu Highway project, describing it as a critical economic and safety corridor. He noted that sustained advocacy by Akwa Ibom lawmakers, with the support of the Senate President, has kept the project firmly on the national agenda.

Sampson further disclosed that he has facilitated federal employment for over 40 Akwa Ibom indigenes across federal ministries, agencies and uniformed services, with many more ongoing. His office, he said, maintains a dedicated employment desk to track opportunities and ensure fair representation of the district’s diverse ethnic groups.

On empowerment, the senator highlighted skills acquisition programmes, distribution of tricycles, outboard engines, business grants and other livelihood support initiatives, stressing that sustainable empowerment must be built around competence, training and innovation.

“Late last year, I led a high power team from the state, largely Oro Nation, and we had meetings with the senate president. Yes, there are some challenges but we looked at the gray areas.

“We look at what to do so that the university can take off as well. I’m very passionate that Oron should have a university, federal university for that matter. Of course, education is my priority.

“Apart from the maritime university in Oron, I also champion that the university in Ikot Abasi must stand on full legs with proper facilities in place. I framed and sponsored a bill for the establishment of the university in Ikot Abasi, Federal University of Technology. The bill went through first reading, second reading, only third now to be passed into law so that the university will be garbed with legal flavor as it were.

“Once it’s garbed with legal flavor, it’s stronger and it has a stronger footing as it were. I’ve also sponsored a bill for the establishment of a federal university of medical sciences in Eket. My idea is that we can have three universities.

“One in Ikot, one in Eket, one in Oron, and if you look at the pit of my interventions, a lot has to do with education. Just last month, I disbursed 100 million Naira to 500 students. Each of the students went home with 200,000 Naira.

“In respect of education, the matrix is moving from the traditional to new frontiers. We are now in the age of AI, technology. If you listen to my advocacy in the Senate, I’ve been very, very insistent that the matrix is changing from the ordinary, you know, to newer arenas.

“We have technology, we have the science-prone areas, the science-inclined areas as it were. So it’s important that the engagements about computer-based education, which we are having now, because that is the way to go. I’m constructing CBT centers in each constituency in my district.

“Because I saw into the future that education has moved from the traditional matrix to technology, to computer-based, you know, framework as it were. So I have a computer-based center in Oron at St. Vincent. There’s also one that I’ve consulted in Eketat St. Francis and then there’s another one at Excellence College.”

According to the Senator, Governor Eno has demonstrated uncommon commitment to inclusive development, especially at the grassroots, adding that the governor’s passion for rural development and people-centred governance aligns with long-held development ideals for the state.

“Governor Eno is a very focused leader. He has depth. He has compassion. He’s passionate that things be done properly and he has a very penetrating interest in the rural space.

“When I see what he is doing, I smile because the governor is doing very well about what were my concerns on the rural space.”

Senator Sampson also noted that the administration’s emphasis on rural roads, empowerment, and workers’ welfare reflects a deliberate effort to return life to the villages and ensure that development is not limited to urban centres.

“Construction of rural roads. Very key. He is touching lives. People are being empowered and he is very passionate that workers must be well taken care of.”

The Senator further spoke extensively on the future of the Ibom Deep Seaport, describing it as one of the most strategic projects capable of transforming Akwa Ibom’s economic landscape.

He recalled a high-level visit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, where Governor Umo Eno passionately articulated the importance of the deep seaport to Nigeria’s maritime economy and Akwa Ibom’s industrial future.

According to him, the synergy displayed during that engagement underscored a rare unity of purpose.

“Our governor spoke with passion about the Ibom deep seaport. Maybe this may not be known to the state because they were not there. But if you were at the Aso Rock villa and you saw how Governor Umo Eno spoke with so much passion about the Ibom deep seaport before Mr. President, you know that we have a governor who is very passionate about driving the state.

“And of course, we had our senate president that spoke like a professor on the deep seaport in Nigeria. Of course, our senate president knows virtually everything about the deep seaport, the background, the history, the challenges. And he marshalled strong arguments before Mr. President about the Ibom deep seaport.”

He explained that the alignment between the state government, the National Assembly caucus, and the Senate President has strengthened the project’s prospects, positioning the seaport as a catalyst for job creation, industrial growth, and regional competitiveness in the South-South.

“This is what the state is gaining from the unity project that Pastor Umo Eno is championing for Akwa Ibom state where before Mr. President we could speak with one voice, speak as a state.”

“The results are quite promising. So Akwa Ibom state is gaining a lot from Senator Akpabio in the senate and we are very proud of him. We will support him.

“We continue to pray for him. It is important that the office is retained in Akwa Ibom state and that Akpabio remains the senate president. The state is gaining a lot.”

The senator emphasized that Akwa Ibom and the entire South-South region are recording significant gains from the emergence of Senator Godswill Akpabio as President of the Senate, chief among these, he said, is the establishment of the South-South Development Commission, with its headquarters located in Uyo and its Managing Director from Akwa Ibom State.

He also noted that the commission promises far-reaching benefits in infrastructure development, employment, and regional planning, adding that several South-South indigenes have already secured federal appointments, attributing these opportunities to the strategic advantage of Akpabio’s leadership position.

Senator Sampson stressed that the unity between the governor, the Senate President and Akwa Ibom lawmakers has created a strong Abuja front, enabling the state to speak with one voice at the national level.

“The momentum is high, confidence is high, and the teamwork spirit is high,” he said, arguing that Akwa Ibom’s development trajectory is being significantly enhanced by this cohesion.